Delhi: Is BJP fast losing connect with voters?

Trying to resolve the bigger issues plaguing the Capital in coordination with the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) seems to have lost its momentum in connecting with voters in Delhi.

After taking over, Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay had said he wanted new people to lead different units of the party.

District units, youth wing, women and minority cells and party workers are now waiting for the changes to be made before the actual work begins.

“Workers who had been running a door-to-door campaign have stopped.

The decision on unauthorised colonies, KMP expressway and other issues will not last long in public memory if we don’t tell them through campaigning. The party must direct its MLAs on the campaign strategy as other parties have already started it,” said a senior BJP leader.

A BJP delegation had this week meet urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu who agreed to have a relook at the regularisation issue.

Highways minister Nitin Gadkari, on meeting Delhi MPs, has set a three-year deadline for the two ring expressways that will enable non-Delhi vehicles to skip the city.

The Congress and AAP have already started campaigning in Delhi. But Upadhyay said the BJP was not supposed to follow other parties. “We are not in the opposition so we don’t need to do all this. We believe in delivery and good governance,” said Upadhyay.

The party’s MLAs however said they had enough experience to know what they need to do. They said they were holding public meetings to keep in touch with voters. “I am in politics for 40 years and know how to make people at the ground work,” said Nand Kishore Garg, MLA from Tri Nagar constituency.

But since it will take another week to make changes in the state unit, the BJP will find it hard to connect with voters if re-election happens this year.

“The new team will be formed in a week. There are many workers who have been working for the party for years but never got the chance to hold a post. Such party workers will be identified so that they can work for the party,” Upadhyay said.